45 killed in factory fires in Pakistan (Lead)

Islamabad, Sep 12 (IANS) At least 45 people were killed and many others injured in two separate fire incidents in Pakistani cities of Karachi and Lahore Tuesday, media reports said.

In the port city of Karachi, at least 20 people, including women and children, were killed and around 30 suffered injuries after a fire erupted at a garments factory, Geo News reported.

The incident occurred at about 6.00 p.m. in a four-storey factory in the city’s Baldia town. The fire, having broken out on the third floor, soon engulfed the second and fourth floors, Xinhua reported.

At least 14 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames. A large number of workers were still trapped in the factory, and rescue work was being carried out till late night, said rescue sources.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.

In Lahore, at least 25 people died after a fire broke out in a shoe-sole making factory, Geo News reported. The factory’s owner and his son were among the dead.

A full shift of 45 workers was at work when the fire engulfed the factory, located in a narrow-street slum on the city’s Band Road. It took about an hour to nearly 10 fire tenders to extinguish the fire.

An initial probe showed the fire broke out due to short circuit at around 4.30 p.m. Some of the injured suffered severe burns, Xinhua reported.